A cool Photoshop Plug-In

I read a LOT of blogs from fellow crafters, sometimes too many. When I find something that gives me the Ahaa moment I realize it is worth the time I spend. A fellow paper crafter had a post about this cool Photoshop plug-in called Kaleidoscope. I wasn't able to get it to work with the 64 bit version of Photoshop CS4 but it does work just fine with the 32 bit version.

So what can you do with a few ordinary photos? Here's one of a daffodil.

Here's the same photo with the effect where it looks like I took an aerial shot of a field of flowers.

Here's a photo of the Wright Brothers monument in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Here's the same photo with the effect but I used different settings than I did with the flower.

Finally, here's a photo of my kitty BC who by the way is doing very well. If you remember (and even if you don't) he was VERY sick around the Christmas holidays in 2009. He was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Disease and is on prescription food and 1/2 tablet of Prednisone every three days. His last blood test in October was good and hopefully his next one in April will be the same.

Here's the first version of Kaleidoscope but it is a bit creepy with all those heads.

I did the effect again and came up with something a bit different that you'd never guess started out as a cat.

If you have Photoshop or Photoshop elements give it a try. Warning it is a bit addictive.

Until my next post,
Diane

Gatefold Album

This was a really easy project to put together and I got it on sale so that made it all the better! This is a Deja Views Fall Gatefold Album from the Sharon Ann Timeless collection. It came on a 12x24 piece of double sided cardstock. The pieces were perforated so you just punch them out and then assemble.

There are two signatures that I sewed with waxed linen thread and then added the ribbon for look.

All the coordinating embellishments came on the cardstock too so you know it was going to work together.

Until my next post,
Diane

The original steampunk artist?

This January 2011 issue of the Smithsonian magazine has a great article about an artist I'd never heard of. Giuseppe Arcimboldo was a portrait painter but when you see how he portrayed his subjects you'd think he was the first steampunk artist ever.

Until my next post,
Diane

Happy Birthday Edgar

Today is the 202nd anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allen Poe. I haven't read that much of his work...it's on my list of classics but I just haven't gotten to it yet.

I was reading the newspapers my neighbor saved for me when hubby and I were out of town skiing and visiting family when I saw this one from Bizarro. It is timely for the anniversay of the great writer and since I'm a big fan of A. A. Milne's series it was a perfect match.

Until my next post,

Diane

Simplicity Card

Here's a Technique Junkie designed Pinwheel card that I made for a recent swap. I used mostly patterned paper except for the hot pink portion in the pinwheel which was embossed. I used a simple punch in the corner and then added a sentiment stamp by Hero Arts.

Until my next post,
Diane

Thanks! card

I sent this card as a thank you for Christmas gifts received. I sent is over two weeks ago so I'm timely with my thanks just not with my posts. The background paper is by K&Co. The stamp is by Impression Obsession. I colored it with Marvy watercolor markers to get the different colors on the flower and petal and outline.

Until my next post,
Diane

You're only a kid once card

Here's a card I made for a birthday using the simple layout from Boxer Scrapbooks that I learned at a show last year. I've made a bunch of cards using this layout since it is so versitile. The paper is from various sources, the stamp is by Inkadinkado. It is a two part stamp, the inside says "but you can be young a lifetime". I used decorative scissors on the edges of the brown paper and a few accent stripes of gold with a peel-off.

Until my next post,
Diane

Wow...card

Here's the last card (for now) using the Anne Taintor playing cards. Like the others I used the Faux Marble Technique from the Technique Junkies Oct/Nov 09 newsletter. For this one I used Ranger Distress Inks in Crushed Olive and some swirls that I cut with my Silhouette

Until my next post,
Diane

Embrace Life card

Back in mid October I attended another Stamp Scrap Art Tour convention in Hampton. I have been taking classes there and this year I took two with Sarah from the Paper Cut. This class used images printed in black and white or color on printable acetate. This acetate can go through either an ink jet or laser printer. We stamped the cards with a lot of different background stamps by Impression Obsession. They have about 75 of these huge bachground stamps. They make a special acrylic handle to use these big stamps since sometimes you don't get a good impression. It really works, I bought a show special the next day with three background stamps and the handle.

Until my next post,
Diane

Rainy Day Photoshop Action

One great thing about Photoshop is that you can change the look and feel of your photos. In this case the day I went to visit Tuckahoe Plantation it was overcast but certainly NOT raining. But through the magic of photoshop and free actions that you can download from this site (and others) is that you can change the weather.

Here's what it really looked like:

Here's what it looks like with a bit of faux rain drops on the lens:

How about a bit of condensation too:

Have fun making a rainy day.

Until my next post,
Diane

Magic Kindom -- and a special tour

Magic Kindom -- and a special tour

Some folks think the Magic Kingdom is the best of the Disney theme parks. I tend to agree. I think it is the castle in the middle with all the magic it brings. If you are a baby boomer, you grew up watching Walt Disney on TV and saw the unveiling of Disneyland and then the plans he had for Disneyworld. Hubby and I went to the Magic Kingdom twice for this vacation. The first time we went on the "other" very cold day in central Fla. I'm not kidding we set a record for that day for low temperature of 32. It isn't cold compared to other sections of the country but 32 in Florida is COLD! We got to the park early and it wasn't very crowded, probably because the day before it was cold and folks were waiting a bit for it to warm up. When the park opened we headed immediately to Tomorrowland and had the very first car on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. It is a ride and a game where you try to destroy the evil Emperor Zurg. From there we had a two minute wait to get on Space Mountain and then headed over to Fantasyland to ride the Winnie the Pooh ride. This ride is always crowded so I wanted to go since we've never waited before for it. This was the warm up for our lunch rendezvous with Tigger, Pooh, Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore.

Our second visit was the last day of our stay. By then it was warming up and would get into the 70's. I had scheduled us for the Keys to the Kingdom tour. We began at 9:30 and finished up about 3:30. We had special radio frequency earpieces to wear so we could hear our guide amongst the crowds. We stared by introducing ourselves and then dove in with a bit of history that is displayed on the windows of the shops on Main Street USA. We went towards Adventureland and got a special Kristin Pass ride and were able to cut in front of everyone for a special tour of the Jungle Cruise. Kristin was our guide and she was making a joke about the Fast Pass, a way for customers to sort of save a place in line if it is too crowded and then come back at a designated time. The Kristen Pass was even better since we had no waiting at all. If you've ridden the Jungle Cruise you know all the guides have this list of the corniest jokes in the world. The Kristin ride eliminated just about all of them and gave us a behind the scenes tour instead of the background of the ride and the "hidden" features.

From there we continued through Adventureland to Frontierland and did a bit of behind the scenes touring. Kristen mentioned a special feature of the Enchanted Tike room and recommened the Dole snack hut near the Jungle Cruise as a great place to get some soft serve pineapple ice cream (hubby and I went back after the tour was over and it was great!)  After promising not to take photos or record anything behind the scened we went behind a fence near the railroad crossing in Adventureland to see where some of the floats reside and also viewed the huge holding tank for the water in Splash Mountain. Every night they drain all the water and then find all the things people loose on that ride. From there we went to Liberty Square. Our lunch at the Harbour House was waiting when we arrived. We had a separate eating area and the lunches we ordered at the beginning of the tour were already on tables for us.

After lunch we got a review of some background Kristen had given us on the Haunted Mansion. Again we got a Kristen Pass and entered the ride through the servants quarters near the exit and were instructed to look for "hidden Mickey's and a Donald". I found all but one.

After we gathered our group we exited Liberty Square getting some more background as we walked and then went into a door and down an elevator and entered the tunnels or as they call them in Disney lingo "utilidors" for utility corridors. Since the water table is so high the Magic Kingdom is actually built one story taller than the rest of the surrounding area thus allowing the designers to put utility things out of the view of the public. You don't see garbage being collected. You don't see service trucks or things like that, it is all under you, keeping the magic alive. All the normal things you'd see in a work are are there, forklifts, bulletin boards, safety signs and updates to park happenings so the cast members are all on the same sheet of music. While we were there we saw a short video on how the cast members get their laundry serviced. We left via another elevator and were back to our starting point.

All in all it was a great tour. I don't think it spoiled the magic for me at all but really enhanced my impresssion of the folks that designed this great escape from the daily grind to the most magical place in the world.

 

Until my next post,

Diane

Downtown Disney and Animal Kingdom

Here's part two of three of the before Christmas trip hubby and I took to Disneyworld. To me no trip to Disney is complete without strolling around Downtown Disney and maybe having a meal or two. Hubby and I ate there the day we arrived (Raglan Road and Irish Pub) and the last night we were there (Wolfgang Puck's). We also headed over there one morning before going out to Epcot. Our hotel (Port Orleans Riverside) was a short shuttle boat ride away, or you could take the bus. On that day I splurged and used one the snack entitlements we had with our meal plan and got a deep fried snickers bar from Cookes of Dublin. Downtown Disney has some great shops with more than Disney memorabilia.

Disney has had this promotion for at least two years where they give you a button so you can tell the world what you are celebrating. Some pins are for 1st Visit or Happy Anniversary. I had a pin for Happy Birthday. I wore it all week and really stretched out the number of times people said "Happy Birthday" to me. Almost all the staff does and so do many other customers. It is a great ice breaker when you are standing in line too. Just about every table service meal presented me with an extra desert or added a special little something to the existing desert. Note the way Wolfgang puck did in with my Key Lime Pie --they wrote it in chocolate.

The first two days of our vacation were quite cold but it was warming up the day we went to Animal Kingdom. We ate a breakfast buffet at the Tusker house in the Africa section of the park. It was better than I thought it would be and we got some one on one with Donald Duck and friends. Hubby found a great place for me to take some photos during the parade and we stayed longer than I thought. All in all a great day!

Until my next post,
Diane

Disney Epcot and Hollywood Studios

As I mentioned in a post a few days ago, hubby and I went out to Disneyworld before Christmas again. I know I'm a bad blogger for not having posted these immediately but the holidays snuck up on me and so did a cold that I fought off for a week or so. Also, we had that monster east coast storm....so that's why I'm late. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Anyway instead of posting a bunch of photos from each park I used this free program called Shape Collage. I first found out about this from another blog I read. It is pretty easy to use. If you want to be able to remove the watermark or use the finished product in Photoshop you will need to purchase either the personal or professional edition.

The first day we arrived it was very cold. We started the day at Epcot because we had lunch reservations at Le Chefs de France. If you look close you can see a little picture of Remi from the Pixar movie Ratatouille. It was so cold and windy that day that after lunch we headed over to Hollywood Studios since it is less exposed to the elements. Besides we had some friends to meet. Before we left I got an email from one of our old neighbors when we were in the USAF. They had gotten my early Christmas card where I mentioned we'd be going to Disney. We finally tracked them down by Mickey's Hat and then rode the Tower of Terror with them. Carol mentioned she thought it was just supposed to be her and her husband but when they arrived she discovered her husband had assembled the entire family together. Great surprise!

Some of the other photos in Epcot are towards the end of the trip when it warmed up so I've got less layers of clothing on.

Until my next post,

Diane